Watercraft sports have become increasingly popular particularly in the areas of wind surfing, sculling and more recently sea kayaking. Wind Surfing requires good balance, upper body strength as well as a strong back and legs and the ability to stand upright for extended periods of time, thus limiting the number of potential participants in the sport. Also, depending on wind conditions and sea conditions, wind surfing typically may require several sizes of sails as well as boards, each of which are costly. Sculling and sea kayaking involve watercraft having a narrow beam. Each require a good sense of balance and accordingly appeal to a limited clientele, specifically those having requisite physical skill. Furthermore, an active person who engages in each of these related watercraft sports, would need a substantial array of equipment to participate, including multiple hulls, masts, ocars, paddles, rigging and sails.
Applicant is aware of prior art devices which have employed seat devices for sail boards as well as conversion devices for converting a sail board assembly into a sailing craft. Such devices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,008 (Hall), U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,723 (Friesen), and German patent DE 3123 967 (Horn), German Patent 3424653-A (Mack), German Patent 3343564-A (Scho). These patents disclose inventions for the conversion of a sail board assembly into a sail boat assembly. They also incorporate a seat, typically fixed to the sail board hull and employ sailor controllable steering devices connected to a rudder assemly, to permit a sailor to steer his craft in a selected direction. However most prior art patents covering conversion arrangements for conventional sail boards have failed to provide a central conning console which permits the sailor while seated to control from one station movement of a rudder, movement of a center board and direct the angle of the sail. Furthermore, prior art patents disclosing conversion arrangements generally are limited in the scope of the conversion of the sail board. Typically, they only convert the sail board into a sail boat, or alternatively convert the sail board into a rowboat, or alternatively convert the sail board into a paddle craft.
Accordingly it is the object of this invention to provide an increased scope of use for sail boards to those who prefer to sit while sailing. It is another object of this invention to increase the scope of use of a sail board hull as wind surfing craft, rowing craft and kayak craft. Another object of this invention is to provide greater stability by utilizing larger size conventional sail board hull commonly called "fun boards" as a hull to which a multi-functional seat can be attached in combination with a plurality of kits for converting the sail board selectively into either a conventional sail boat, designed to be operated from the seated position, a rowboat arranged to be operated with sculls having a seat wherein the user faces the aft or a paddling craft, such as a kayak, wherein the user is oriented in the forward position and employs paddles.
It is therefore desirable to provide for an improved conversion arrangement for a wind surf board or a sail board with a unique multi-positional seat system in combination with watercraft kits for converting a sail board selectively into a sail board, a rowing craft or a paddle craft and which overcomes the limitations of the prior art.